


Mourning Coffee

by Rocky_T



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 22:10:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15616098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rocky_T/pseuds/Rocky_T
Summary: Sometimes, that first cup of coffee in the morning turns out to be the highlight of the day.





	Mourning Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, this is Seema's fault.

The chrono chimed softly, and Janeway opened her eyes. Her bedroom was dark; the only illumination was the faint starlight coming through the window. She turned her head to see the time. 0h six hundred hours. For a moment she debated rolling over and trying to go back to sleep. She squashed the impulse almost immediately. Granted, Alpha shift didn’t begin for another two hours, but she had reports to review before she was due on the bridge. She pushed back the covers and rose from the bed.

She went through her morning routine, washing up and brushing her teeth. She pulled her uniform out of the closet and dressed swiftly, pulling on the black pants and red tunic, then slipping on her boots. Hairbrush in hand, she paused in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection, suddenly struck by the lines in her face.

“I look old,” she said out loud and immediately shook her head at her own foolishness. Of course, she was getting older, and time didn’t stand still, after all. Plus the life of a Starfleet captain was full of stress; was it any wonder it was reflected in her face? Her fingers moving rapidly, she plaited her hair into a braid that she coiled on top of her head, then added a touch of lipstick. “There.” She was ready to face the day, or would be with one more thing.

She entered the small living area, and paused in front of the small cabinet set into the wall. “Coffee, black.” Nothing happened, and then she remembered. The replicators were off-line again. Oh, well. She could always stop by the Mess Hall on her way to the bridge. She should have just enough time for a cup of coffee before going on duty.

She grabbed the PADD off the low table, loaded with what her crew affectionately called her “reading material”, and hurried out the door.

***

In the Mess Hall, she acknowledged the cheerful greetings with a casual wave of her hand. She sat down at her usual table and prepared to key up her PADD. Before she could begin, however, she was distracted by the smell of fresh brewed coffee. Someone placed a cup in front of her.

“Bless you, Neelix,” she murmured as she took her first sip. Almost as if he heard, he smiled broadly at her across the room from his position behind the counter, his colorful chef’s hat perched at a jaunty angle on his orange curls.

“Would you like anything else, ma’am?” asked the young ensign who had served her.

“It’s not crunch time, yet, Harry,” she said reprovingly. “How many times have I told you not to call me that?”

“Sorry, Captain,” Harry said. “What would you like for breakfast this morning?”

“Nothing else, thanks,” she replied. “This wonderful coffee is a meal in itself.”

Chakotay arrived just then and sat down beside her. “Captain Janeway will have scrambled eggs and toast, with a slice of melon.” He forestalled her objections. “Come on, Kathryn, you know how important breakfast is. Got to have plenty of fuel for your busy day, right?” He flashed his dimples in her direction, knowing full well that she wouldn’t be able to resist.

“Very well,” she grumbled. “If you insist.” When Harry came back with a tray, she picked up her fork so she wouldn't hurt Chakotay’s feelings, but soon found she didn’t have to pretend to have an appetite.

Chakotay smiled. “So what’s on tap for today?”

Janeway didn’t need to consult her PADD. “We’re on course for the Kalladin system, and due to rendezvous with one of their ships in another 6 hours. The premier seemed amenable to opening trade negotiations, so we’ll see how that goes. And of course, there’s the warp core diagnostic B’Elanna planned and I think I’ll stop by Engineering to—"

“Don’t forget about your visit to Sickbay for your physical, Kathryn,” Chakotay interjected smoothly.

“Is that today?” she said in dismay. “Surely, I can skip it or at least put it off for a couple of days as I’m so busy.”

“No, you can’t,” Chakotay said firmly. “Your health is another thing we’ve spoken about.”

“I’m healthy as a horse,” Kathryn said stubbornly.

“And we want to keep you that way. The best way is to catch the little things before they develop into big ones. Remember when you fell just a few weeks ago? We want to keep an eye on your blood pressure, your heart rate, and so on.”

Janeway frowned. A fall? Now that he had mentioned it, she vaguely recalled coming to on the floor of her cabin. She had gotten up in the middle of the night, looking for…something she couldn’t remember right now. In her effort to catch that elusive memory, she almost missed Chakotay’s next words.

“Whatever else you have planned will just have to wait.”

Janeway sighed. “All right, all right, I’ll go. I just hope it doesn’t take all morning.”

***

From her position on the biobed, Janeway caught a glimpse of the doctor’s bald head as he flitted around Sickbay, adjusting a console here, frowning over a reading there, and in general being quite oblivious to her growing impatience.

“How long is this going to take, Doctor?” she asked.

“Not much longer.”

Janeway bit back a sigh. He’d been saying that every time she’d asked, by her count, five times in the last two hours. She opened her mouth to say just that but was momentarily distracted as he placed a glowing monitor on her forehead. “What’s that for?”

“That’s to monitor your brain waves.”

“What’s wrong with my brain waves?”

“Nothing is the matter, but there are some things from the general scan we did earlier that I’d like to see in greater detail.”

“Such as?”

“Nothing important, I assure you.”

“It’s obviously important, or you wouldn’t be checking it out.”

“I mean nothing important that you need to concern yourself about it, Captain.” He waved a probe over the monitor and grunted. “Ah.”

“Is that a good ‘Ah’ or a bad ‘Ah’?”

“There are no significant changes from the last time we ran this scan.”

But that implied that there were changes? She opened her mouth to ask, but didn’t get a chance to speak as the doctor touched a control on the side of the bed. The diagnostic shell arcing over her split into its component halves which were then rapidly drawn back into their recesses. He grasped her arms and helped her into a sitting position.

“And?”

“And what?”

“Am I healthy?”

The doctor nodded. “You’re fine.”

“Can I go?”

“Yes, yes. Until next time, Captain.”

A petite blond woman came over and began helping her get dressed. “Really, Kes,” Janeway said in irritation, “I can do this myself. I manage to get dressed every morning, you know.”

Kes smiled in a placating manner. “I’m not saying you need help, Captain, but if you ever do, there’s nothing wrong with asking.”

Janeway felt abashed. There really was no need to be annoyed at Kes. She’d always had a soft spot for the young Ocampan.

“Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome, Captain.”

***

When she left Sickbay, she meant to head for the bridge. But when the turbolift came to a halt, she found herself on an unfamiliar deck. The throbbing of the ship’s engines was very loud here, and she clutched her PADD tightly as she made her way down the corridor.

Around the bend, she saw two crewmembers standing and having an animated conversation. They stopped as she approached. “Do you need any assistance?” asked the taller one.

Janeway squinted, trying to place him. Was this Dalby? Then the shorter man stepped forward and she recognized Joe Carey and that they were outside Engineering. “Well, I was on my way to the bridge, but I decided to swing by Engineering first and see if I could help with the warp diagnostic.”

Just then, B’Elanna approached. “Thanks for the offer, but no need. We’ve got everything under control, Captain.”

“That’s good.”

“As a matter of fact, I’m on my way up to the bridge right now. Why don’t we go together?”

B’Elanna kept up a steady conversation as they retraced the path to the turbolift. Janeway exhaled deeply, as the confusion she’d felt earlier dissipated.

***

Janeway woke with a start and for a moment didn’t know where she was. She focused on a tree branch waving gently a few inches from her face, noting the play of light and shadow on its leaves. She smiled as recognition dawned. She was in the Arboretum, of course. As it had been nearing lunchtime, B’Elanna had suggested they stop in the Mess Hall for a bite to eat, and Janeway had acquiesced. It had been a very pleasant meal, and she’d squashed her feelings of guilt by vowing to go straight to her Ready Room afterward and make some headway on her reports. But somehow, she’d gotten sidetracked and ended up wandering around the Arboretum. She must have sat down for just a moment and had fallen asleep.

She struggled to her feet, making sure she still had her PADD. A glance at her chrono told her she was late for her appointment in Astrometrics.

***

Janeway bent over the 3-D star map she was constructing, careful to periodically check the data base to make sure she was on the right track. She hadn’t minded when Seven asked her to assist in this project; to be honest, she was enjoying herself. Or at least she would be enjoying it if the other people in the room weren’t making so much noise. She glared briefly at the Delaney sisters who were sitting in the corner of the room, heads together while they giggled and whispered instead of keeping their minds on their work.

Seven, at least, didn’t seem perturbed in the least as she moved around the room, examining the different workstations and offering her critiques along with some helpful advice for improvements. Janeway nodded approvingly at this demonstration of how far Seven had come in her quest to fit in better with the crew.

She tried to catch Seven’s eye, but Seven just smiled at her as she walked by and said, “Very good!” without even stopping at Janeway’s station. Janeway sat and watched, momentarily distracted by the overhead illumination playing off the silver beads in Seven’s eyebrow piercings, before giving herself a mental shake and getting back to work.  


***

“I really don’t feel like going out tonight,” Janeway said firmly. “It’s getting late, and I didn’t finish everything I’d planned on getting done today, and really, can’t we go to the Holodeck another time?”

“But it’s a special event,” Tom said. “I can promise you this is not a holoprogram you want to miss!” He grinned. “After all, I was the chief architect for this particular setting.”

Janeway smiled fondly at his enthusiasm.  She knew Tom was an excellent holoprogrammer; the entire crew had enjoyed several of his creations over the years. Granted, some programs had been more successful than others, but they had all provided much-needed recreation for the crew on their long journey home.

“Well, if you’ll tell me you included the pool table from Sandrine’s, that might be worth my while,” she said teasingly. “If you’re up for a game, I might even let you have a chance to win back some of your replicator credits.”

“Now there’s a thought,” Tom said in a tone that matched hers. He patted her upper arm. “I’ve got to go now, but I’ll see you later!”

“Count on it!” she replied, as she began to contemplate just what kind of scenario Tom had come up with now.

Much later, Janeway began to regret coming. She sat alone at her little table in the balcony, a drink at her elbow, and peered down at the stage below. Unfortunately, the orchestra pit was situated between her seat and the performers, and it was hard for her to follow the action, much less hear what they were saying. She lifted her head as someone passed nearby and saw, to her delight, that it was Tuvok.

“Good evening, Kathryn,” the Vulcan intoned. “Are you enjoying the performance?”

“Come sit down by me,” she said, patting the seat beside her. “I’m glad I caught you. I wanted to talk about the security arrangements for the Kalladin delegation when they arrive.”

Tuvok looked uncomfortable as he sat down. “There is nothing for you to concern yourself with, Captain. Everything is under control.”

“I want to make sure we don’t leave anything to chance,” she said stubbornly. “Premier Shallan represents just a single faction in the autarchy, and so we have to keep a lookout for some unexpected guests trying to interfere with the negotiations. Then there’s the practical aspects to consider;  the report we received said the trade ambassador has a sector-wide reputation for—"

“I assure you, everything has been taken care of—“

“Do you know how badly we need this trade agreement?” Janeway asked, her voice rising. “We’re barely limping along as it is! In addition to replenishing our food stocks, we’re dangerously low on raw materials like deuterium, neutronium, not to mention dilithium. We can’t afford for anything to go wrong!”

“Kathryn. Calm down.”

“I’ll calm down when you start acting like my chief of security and not some mindless sycophant!” she yelled. People at nearby tables were starting to look at her, but she didn’t care. This was too important. “Damn it, what’s gotten into you? Why are you just sitting there when we’ve got so much work to do!”

Agitated, she tried to get up, and then Chakotay was there.

“Easy, easy, what’s all this?” Chakotay asked.

She thrust her chin in Tuvok’s general direction. “My chief of security refuses to take his duties seriously! The situation with the Kalladin is critical! Tell him, Chakotay, tell him how much we have at stake and how there’s no time to waste!”

“Kathryn, why don’t I see you back to your quarters? We can discuss this whole issue in quieter surroundings.” He held out his hand to her and she clung to it gratefully as she struggled out of her seat.

As they turned to leave, Chakotay muttered something to Tuvok that she didn’t catch. A look of profound relief crossed the Vulcan’s face as he replied, “Right away, Doctor.”

Doctor? Why was Tuvok calling Chakotay a doctor? Janeway wondered as they exited the holodeck.

***

Janeway felt much better when she was inside her own quarters. She sank onto the couch, and gratefully accepted the cup of hot steaming liquid that Chakotay offered her. She took a sip, then wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Tea? I don’t want this. You know I prefer coffee.”

“This is a light herbal tea, a variety of Vulcan spice tea, as a matter of fact. No caffeine to interfere with your night's sleep.”

She put the cup down on the table, next to her PADD. “All right, I want some answers, Chakotay.”

“And I’ll give them to you.” He clasped her hands gently. “To begin with, Kathryn, you’re not on board Voyager.”

Her lips tightened as he confirmed what she’d begun to suspect. “Where am I?”

“San Francisco. On Earth.” She opened her mouth to object, but he went on. “The Kalladin trade negotiations were successfully concluded over 50 years ago, shortly before Voyager returned home.”

She searched her memory, but couldn’t find anything that tracked with what he was saying. “Voyager returned home? I don’t…”

“Yes, Kathryn.  Ten years after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant, you got them home just as you promised you would.”

This was reassuring, but what if he were simply saying what he thought she wanted to hear? What if this was all part of a conspiracy—

As if reading her thoughts, he continued, “And I can promise you, you haven’t been kidnapped by aliens. This is Earth, your home. Believe me, everything I’m telling you is the truth. Here, come see.” He led her to the window.

Almost fearful of what she would see, she slowly raised her head to look out. They were on a hillside covered with small, low structures, interspersed with trees and gardens. The land curved down gracefully to the large expanse of the bay that took up most of the view. “See?” he said. “That’s San Francisco Bay, and you can see the Marin Headlands across the water.” The sun was slowly setting and lights sparkled all along the shore.

“But what is this place? How did I get here?”

“This is a residential treatment center, for centenarians and others with similar medical histories as yourself. About three years ago, when your memory began failing, your great-niece suggested that it might be more comfortable for you here.”

Her great-niece? “Katie,” she said, an image forming in her mind.

“That’s right, her name is Katie Robbins.”

“She comes to visit me every Sunday.”

“And sometimes during the week, if she can find the time. She’s very busy, you know, with her position as one of the top instructors at the Academy.”

Janeway closed her eyes, remembering the little girl who’d been enthralled by stories of Starfleet, and who always said one day she would follow her Aunt Kathryn to the stars.

Opening her eyes once more, she focused on the man sitting across from her. “You’re Dr. Montague.”

“Yes.”

Aside from a superficial resemblance—dark hair and eyes, and those dimples—he didn’t really look like her former first officer. “I’m sorry…”

“No need to apologize, Kathryn. We understand. Now, why don’t you get some rest?”

“That’s a good idea. Thank you.”

He smiled and left her quarters.

Janeway unsteadily managed to get to her feet and decided to follow the doctor’s advice. The events of the day had worn her out; she could hardly recall ever being so tired. She climbed into bed and was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

A few hours later, she woke briefly in the darkness and tried to remember. There was something important she needed to do…yes, those reports. Despite her best intentions, she’d never gotten around to them yesterday. She wondered if she should get up and attend to them now, but she was so tired. Her eyes closing, she decided they could wait till morning. Morning. A smile crossed her face as she remembered that there would be coffee in the morning.


End file.
